COLUMBUS – An Athens County man has been placed on probation and was stripped of his hunting license after killing an osprey, a violation of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.
Rick Kesterson, 37, of Glouster, was seen using a fishing line to retrieve the bird from a pond where it fell after being shot and hitting it with a pipe, according to federal court documents.
Kesterson was indicted by a federal grand jury in May in connection with the 2015 incident. He pleaded no contest to the charge Monday in federal court and District Judge Algenon Marbley sentenced him to two years of probation, ordered him to pay $500 in restitution to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, forfeit his hunting license and complete 52 hours of community service.
In April 2015, a caller to the ODNR Division of Wildlife “Turn in a Poacher“ hotline reported they were watching the bird with binoculars when they heard two shots and saw the osprey fall from the air into a pond, authorities said.
Kesterson was seen using a fishing line to retrieve the osprey from the water, hitting it with a pipe and carrying it down a dirt road into the woods where it was later found partially submerged in a creek, according to court documents.
During the execution of a search warrant at Kesterson’s parents’ home, investigators found Kesterson hiding in his basement bedroom and the home filled with smoke that smelled like marijuana, according to authorities.
Investigators determined that Kesterson saw the officers coming up the driveway and he tried to burn a handful of marijuana in a wood burning stove with a propane torch. Investigators also found live marijuana plants, a large amount of marijuana drying and grow lights throughout the residence.
The Athens County Sheriff’s Office handled the drug investigation.